Sabaton made “The Last Stand” of “The Last Tour” in North America at The Fillmore in Silver Spring. I’d been waiting for this show for weeks as I watched the band tour around the continent, impatiently waiting, as the last show of the tour was at the most local venue to me in Silver Spring, Maryland. This would be a night of firsts for me as, although I’d seen Sabaton in the past… it was always as a support act and never as a headliner. I was finally going to see them perform a full set! It was also my first time seeing Battle Beast perform. I’ve been a huge fan of Battle Beast for years, but had never gotten to see them in the past, mostly because they never toured North America before. And as for Leaves’ Eyes… well… technically I seen them perform once before… but it was in a festival type setting last fall when they were having sound check issues, and in order to keep things running on time, their set was cut to only 3 songs…. not nearly enough to count in my opinion! So… I was prepared for a great night… and a great night was exactly what I got!

Battle Beast

First up was the Finnish metal powerhouse of Battle Beast! The group was touring in support of their newest studio album “Bringer of Pain” and… I can’t say they really brought any pain… but they did bring a killer set of their unique brand of heavy metal that did not disappoint! Their musical production was great and their vocalist Noora Louhimo absolutely slayed us with her powerful vocals and great stage presence. I don’t know if this happened every night… or was just a special event for the last night of the tour, but we got guest performances by Sabaton’s drummer, Hannes van Dahl and a vocal duet with Noora and Leaves’ Eyes vocalist Elina Siirala. Most of the songs played were from the new album with a few trips down memory lane as well. It was a fantastic start to the night!

Battle Beast Set List

Straight to the Heart
Bringer of Pain
Familiar Hell
Black Ninja
Lost in Wars
Bastard Son of Odin
King for a Day
Beyond the Burning Skies (duet with Elina Siirala)

Leaves’ Eyes

Next up were Nordic/German metallers, Leaves’ Eyes and another great set began! The band was touring their latest album (EP) “Fires in the North”, which is their first album with new vocalist Elina Siirala which was released last year. Elina’s soaring vocals blew me away last fall when I saw the band perform for only three songs… but tonight was even better as we got to hear a set that was more than twice as long. There were plenty of “last night of the tour” antics with members and crew coming onto the stage to distract and upstage the performing bands during all of the sets… but this was most notable and funny during Leaves’ Eyes portion of the show. The band played seven songs in all including all the songs on the new EP. It was a stunning show that still seemed to end all too quickly!

Leaves’ Eyes Set List

Halvdan the Black
Swords in Rock
Edge of Steel
Hell to the Heavens
Fires in the North
Sacred Vow
Blazing Waters

Sabaton

Having just been blown away to two incredibly talents support acts, the crowd at the Fillmore was more than ready for Sabaton to take the stage. Sabaton are a quintet of musicians from Sweden that play a unique brand of war and battle themed music focusing on heroism demonstrated in historical conflicts from all over the world. They are currently touring their latest album “The Last Stand”. The energy level was high in the room when Sabaton began their impressive 14 song set, and the band definitely didn’t let any of that energy die! I’ve always found Sabaton to be a very fun band to see live. They have very dedicated and interactive fans which always adds to the energy level of the show. The music and the harmonies are great and despite the high quality of the performance, there is always a lot of self-deprecating humor interspersed throughout the show. The band’s vocalist Joakim Brodén is a phenomenal front man and always keeps the audience engaged, whether he is belting out powerful lyrics or pretending to pick his nose and ingest what was retrieved. Tonight was no exception, and the audience got a stellar performance.

Sabaton

Sabaton Set List

Ghost Division
The Art of War
Blood of Bannockburn
Attero Dominatus
The Last Stand
Swedish Pagans
Union (Slopes of St. Benedict)
Sparta
Screaming Eagles
Carolus Rex
Gott mit uns
Resist and Bite
Diary of an Unknown Soldier
The Lost Battalion
Winged Hussars

When the show was finally over, everyone came out to say their goodbyes. It was a bittersweet moment as it meant the night (and the tour) was over, but what a phenomenal night it was. I can’t wait to see all of these bands again. I don’t know when Sabaton and Leaves’ Eyes will be returning to our shores, but I was thrilled when I recently found out that Battle Beast will be returning in the early spring of 2018 a support act for Kamelot!… and I already have my tickets!!! See you there!